AIR INDIA AND
INDIAN AIRLINES HAVE FINALISED HUB AND SPOKE ARRANGEMENT : SHAHNAWAZ
HUSSAIN
Air India and Indian
Airlines have finalized hub and spoke arrangement between them.
This will enable Air India to have Indian Airlines aircrafts which
are more suitable for connecting different domestic stations to
the international flights of Air India from Delhi and Mumbai.
This was announced by the Civil Aviation Minister Shri Syed Shahnawaz
Hussain while addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee
attached to his Ministry here today. He said this will enable
Air India to deploy their own A-310 aircraft more profitably on
other routes for which these bigger aircrafts are more suitable.
The Minister said, a route rationalization exercise has been undertaken
so that both the airlines give good competition to the foreign
airlines instead of competing with each other.
The Minister pointed
out that despite the setback suffered after the 11th September
incident, Air India earned a profit of Rs.46.79 crore during the
first half of this year. The company had earned a profit of Rs.15.44
crore during 2001-2002. Similarly Pawan Hans Helicopters has earned
a profit of Rs.62.18 crore in the last fiscal. It has developed
a global vision and has entered into Memorandum of Undertaking
with two international helicopter operators.
The Minister said
a new programme is on the anvil for upgrading the terminal buildings
at some of the important non-metro airports to international standards
with the use of latest designs and material. The Airports Authority
is also actively assisting in establishment of the new international
airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore. Shri Hussain said the legislative
framework is also being suitably modified for this purpose. Besides
this, a number of projects have been taken up at different airports
for improvement of terminal buildings, cargo facilities, passenger
facilities, runway expansion.
Participating in
the discussion members of Parliament said there should be a clear-cut
policy on disinvestment of Air India and Indian Airlines. Lack
of clarity on the issue, has affected the fleet expansion programme
of both the airlines. They demanded that both the airlines should
expand their fleet, but the process should be made transparent.
Expressing their concern over the hike in the price of Air Turbine
Fuel (ATF) which is affecting the bottom line of the two carriers,
they urged the Minister to take up the matter with the Finance
Ministry to bring down the excise duty.
Members of Parliament
who attended today’s meeting are Shri E. Ahmed, Shri Ram Pal Singh,
Shri Ashok Argel, Shri Harpal Singh Sathi, Shri Tarlochan Singh
Tur, Shri S. Murugesan, Shri Chhattrapal Singh, Shri Tarit Beran
Topdar, Shri M. Padmanabham, Shri Ratilal K. Verma, Smt. Renu
Kumari, Shri M.V.V.S. Murthi, Shri Dilip Kumar Gandhi, Shri Daud
Ahmad from the Lok Sabha and Shri Chaudhary Harmohan Singh Yadav,
Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Shri Sanjay Nirupam, Dr. L.M. Singhvi, Shri
Santosh Bagrodia, Shri R.N. Arya, Shri Faqir Chand Mullana, Smt.
Sarla Maheswari, Shri Dinesh Trivedi, Shri N. Jothi, Shri Praful
Patel and Shri Rajeev Shukla from the Rajya Sabha.
